Mistress of Willowvale
" ."Foreign Titles: German
Synopsis:
Aynsworth's stubborn honour will not let him withdraw from his commitment, nor will Leonie's pride let her release him, and they embark upon a union that seems to promise only misery for them both.
The bridal couple settle at Aynsworth's country estate, Willowvale, where Leonie, in spite of the difficulties of her position, displays the independence, the sense of fun and charm that had endeared her to Aynsworth since their childhood. In spite of himself, his love begins to reawaken. And Alexander, her engaging five-year-old, quickly wins Aynsworth's heart in spite of Leonie's adamant silence about the boy's parentage.
Gradually, Aynsworth and Leonie draw a circle of friends around them at Willowvale. There is bearded, one-eyed Troy, reticent about his background, whose early encounter with Lord Christopher ends in a hilarious duel. There is the wise, delightful and somewhat mysterious Mr. Muffin, with his somnolent mongrel, Beast. And at one juncture in the action-filled plot, there is a mansion-full of Leonie's cicibeos -- fashionable admirers -- to the annoyance of her quick-tempered husband.
But the young couple's precarious new happiness is threatened from many directions. The oily Pollard appears unexpectedly at Willowvale, and with him the sinister Dwight, whose foppishness does not diminish his reputation as the most deadly swordsman in England. Why are they there? And why does their presence so excessively frighten Leonie? In a suspense-filled climax, the relentless hunt for fugitives from the Jacobean side of the recent wars endangers the very lives of Leonie, Aynsworth and those they love.
Rich with the authentic atmosphere of turbulent Georgian England, Mistress of Willowvale has its share as well of light-hearted high jinks and of the comic episodes that brighten all this author's works.
Alternate Synopsis:
Once, Leonie believed that her marriage to the handsome Christopher, Lord Aynsworth, would be her every dream come true. But the shivers of anticipation with which she had once awaited her wedding night turned to dread at the mere thought of the man now addressing her as husband.
Everything was all so terribly wrong between them. Leonie had dreamed of no one but Kit and their life together, even when the ware had taken him from her. Even when she had suffered such terrible disgrace... she had dared to dream that one day they would be together.
And then they were married. In his eyes, too, her innocence had turned to shame. And his love for her was dead, replaced by a cold, hard pride she could not melt. So much had happened they could not change. Or forgive. Until, in spite of themselves, they began to fall in love. All over again....
Main Characters:
Christopher, Lord Aynsworth
Leonie Haliwell
Zachary Troy
Muffin
Lord Thaddeus Briley
Rating: (out of 5)
Reviews:
"A delightful cast of characters, a touch of mystery and comic episodes -- unusual in a novel of Georgian England -- make for very enjoyable reading." Charleston News & Courier
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Trivia:
- Muffin is the Duke of Marbury, Roland Otton's grandfather (of The Dedicated Villain).
- Dominer, the home that Kit and Leonie become heir to by the "Grace" of Marbury, is the home in which Roland recuperates in The Dedicated Villain and the home of Garret Hawkhurst in Some Brief Folly.
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